Ascension
by ninetaill
Summary: "... And so, when Madara returns, you are to marry the girl into the throne not only to regain the country's trust, but to produce an heir unlike any other." (Semi-AU) [Loosely based on The Search]
1. Invitation

Chapter 1 – The Invitation

"Your majesty," the small man bowed to the figure who had just entered the room. "What brings you here?"

"I have heard news about progress on the search." an authoritative voice of spoke to the librarian. There was a pause as he expected the small man to confirm what he had heard. The man only stood in awe in the presence of the king. Uchiha Madara himself had never come in person to check on the progress of the search. Growing impatient, he spoke again. "Well?"

"We've had so much trouble trying to find a Senju who had little ties to their clan-"

"Do not repeat what I know." Madara cut in. He was not a man of much talk, and would rather skip right to the point.

"But the effort seems to be worthwhile. We have found a descendant of Hashirama himself." the librarian proudly announced to the king, as he presented more details in a scroll. He raised his eyebrows, pleased in hearing the news. After taking the scroll from the old librarian's hands, he had began to make his way back to the throne, more than satisfied. The Uchiha and Senju have been enemies since the time the elders. What was little known was that if the powers of the Senju and Uchiha were combined, the bloodline would be of great power. The problem was, was that the Senju clan had long dissipated and gone into hiding among various villages as soon as the Uchiha Clan began their reign. To ensure that the Uchiha Clan's rule would continue, he needed a Senju. So, he had sent his scribes and librarians to search for a descendant of the Senju who had little to no connection to their clan. To find someone who could be traced back to his own rival in didn't seem like a possibility until now.

The king stared at the unrolled parchment in his hands. The notes scrawled upon it had been written in the kind of script that future scribes would practice.

_Haruno Sakura, daughter of civilians Mebuki and Kizashi Haruno. Aged eighteen, medical ninja of the Spring Village. _

Madara smiled to himself. The Village of Spring was a village slightly smaller than the leaf, and loyal to the land of Fire. It would be rather easy to convince her to leave her village to marry the prince of the land of Fire. However, convincing the prince to do so would be another story.

* * *

"_Katon! Gokakkyu no jutsu!"_ Sasuke shouted as he sent a massive fireball towards his brother, who he had been sparring with. As the ball of flames impacted him, a flock of crows had merged to form Itachi behind the prince. Both brothers sensing a presence, they had stopped sparring and waited for their mother to approach the charred training grounds by their palace. They rarely had opportunities to spar together, as Itachi was always busy shadowing the king, as he was meant to take his place when- or if he stepped down. Which lead to Sasuke to mind to his own things, which wasn't much. He often had free time in his hands, and spent that time training or sparring with his friends.

"Your father wishes to speak to you, Sasuke." Mikoto spoke as she stood in front of her sons. Both of their eyebrows slightly rose upon hearing the name. It was a rare occurrence for him to wish to speak to his youngest. Glancing back at his brother while he walked, Sasuke followed his mother.

* * *

He kneeled down on one knee the way his mother had taught him to, with his elbow to his knee. He sat before his father who was in a throne smaller than madara Madara's, which was empty.

"As you understand, there has been some talk of some groups that are forming against the Uchiha rule." His father began. Sasuke kept his eyes on the ground in front of him. "Of course, the royal police are keeping an eye on such activities. However, the king feels that it is necessary to bring some more power to the throne." More power? Countless questions and possibilities ran through his head while his father continued to speak. Wasn't Itachi the prodigy that would become king? Why wasn't he speaking to him?

"... And so, when Madara returns, you are to marry the girl into the throne not only to regain the country's trust, but to produce an heir unlike any other." His eyes snapped up towards his father's expressionless face.

"Father..." Sasuke began. He had no idea what to think- or feel right now. He was a prince, but the freedom to choose whoever he wanted to marry- which was no one, was taken away from him in that very moment.

"Are you not loyal to your clan, Sasuke?" His father challenged him. He knew that with that, his son could not object to the plan. "For generations, even your brother, the Uchiha have married hand picked brides." Sasuke clenched his fists as his father mentioned the obviously favoured son. It wasn't unheard of for the future heir to the throne to become part of an arranged marriage, but the remaining siblings often had little to no concern regarding that subject."You are becoming of age within a month, and your bride has been selected. That is final." his father dictated.

"Is that all?" the prince grit through his teeth. At the moment his father nodded at him in dismissal, Sasuke had flickered out of the room, barely able to contain his anger.

* * *

"Are you going to cut your hair again? This is the longest I've seen it since we were twelve." the glamorous blonde asked her best friend, whose pink hair had grown to her shoulders.

"Most likely. It tends to get in the way during missions." Sakura answered while working on a flower arrangement with her best friend, Ino. It was something they did in between missions. Although the Spring was a smaller village than the leaf, they still took many requests for missions.

"The sun is setting," she said, finishing her side of the bouquet that they were arranging . "We should close early... Boy, it's been a looong day." She stretched over dramatically. Indeed, it was. With Ino's mother out of town for the week, the Yamanaka flower shop has been behind on the preparation of their orders.

Standing up to admire their work, Sakura nodded in agreement. Although it wasn't unlike her to stay with Ino and miss dinner with her parents while working at the flower shop, they didn't like it as much because they enjoyed spending time with her.

"Tell you what, forehead. I'll lock up now, and you can go home before your parents get really naggy." her best friend offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, no problem." She knew that Ino was just trying to make Sakura to home before her parents hounded her down and nagged her for keeping her too long. It was hard to find time between missions, hospital work, and the flower shop to have dinner with her parents. But tonight, she would only be about an hour late.

"Alright, see ya, pig!" Sakura called as she left her best friend to wipe down the counter. She waved to the shopkeepers that were beginning to close up, and smiled at the familiar faces she walked by them. Working at the hospital on weekends had given her plenty of opportunities to meet other people but had also given her little time to herself. What she was really looking forward to when she got home was to read a few scrolls or get some extra sleep. But when she stepped into her house, it was awfully quiet. She found her mother sitting and staring at the kitchen table, with a cup of tea in her hands. Cold.

"Mom? Is everything okay?" she asked hesitantly. Her mother snapped up from her empty stare, and greeted her daughter with a warm and gentle smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Where's dad?"

"Your father is in the gardens, Sakura. With a visitor." her mother told her.

"Okay..." she nodded. It bothered her to see her mother like this. Usually she is strong, stern, and bold. Never has she ever been caught off guard or in a daze. She hoped to find an answer along with her father. As she stepped into the garden, the visitor standing with her father turned around. It was none other than the king of the land of fire: Uchiha Madara.

"Your Majesty!" she exclaimed as she bowed.

"Sakura, is it? Stand up and let me have a look at you." she heard him speak. This was the first time she had heard him do so. The king visited occasionally during spring festivals, but usually sent others in place of him. Standing up straight, she watched as the king nodded to himself.

"Kizashi, you have raised a daughter whose beauty that lives up to her name!" he approved. "Now, Sakura... I have a proposal for you."

"Yes, your majesty?"

"As you are aware, the Senju clan have long dispersed and gone into hiding ever since the Uchiha have come into rule." the king began. "After months of searching, we have traced you, Sakura, to be a descendant of Hashirama Senju."

"No, that can't be right..." she denied. "My parents and grandparents are civilians, they've never had any power like a Senju."

"Aa. But you are aware that your mother was adopted, correct?" he added. It was then when she realized that although the possibility was extremely slim, it made sense. Just because her mother had been raised as a civilian didn't mean she didn't have any power. She did find it odd that even coming from parents that weren't ninja, her chakra control was definitely above average- better than those who did come from a ninja family. But her skill level could never rival Hashirama's- she couldn't use wood release, and couldn't preform healing jutsu the way the stories had told he could. She was in disbelief. Although there was proof of her lacking of skill on his caliber, she couldn't deny it. Why would the king lie to her?

"Surely, delivering this news wasn't the only reason you came here." she spoke. She was almost afraid- it was as if she had disrespected the king.

"Seeing that you have recently discovered that you are of Senju descent, you most likely haven't held any contempt for the Uchiha." the king began, walking his way around their small family garden. "If a Senju were to marry into the family, this would most likely bring the nation closer, and they would no longer be hiding. The Fire country would then see the unity in this." he explained. Kizashi only kept to his eyes to the floor, his usually joyful eyes brimming with sorrow. "I have a proposal for you, Sakura." she knew what it was going to be. He was going to ask her to join into the family. But wasn't the eldest prince already married? Uchiha Itachi had been married to the daughter of one of the highest ranking ninja two years ago. She had known there was a second prince but it wasn't common for the younger siblings to be arranged in a marriage.

"My second grandchild, Uchiha Sasuke will be of age soon. In two month's time, I would like for you to join the Uchiha family, and give us children of Uchiha and Senju blood." he proposed. She realized that this was for political reasons. The Senju clan _did_ disperse among the many villages, but they still made up a population of at least a third of the nation. She did hear about people in other villages becoming unhappy with the Uchiha rule. If they had realized that a Senju was now in the royal family, they might be satisfied for a while. If things continued to escalate, there would be a possibility of a civil war breaking out, which may even cause the entire country to become vulnerable to attacks from other nations.

_"_It would be an honour to become part of the royal family, but..." Sakura stammered. She had no idea what the youngest prince looked like, let alone _what_ he was like. She had only seen his father, and his older brother. Being married to a prince she didn't know wasn't something Sakura wanted.

"But what? You would be living in luxury, you would never have to work another day of your life! The life of royalty is what most women your age dream of!" Madara encouraged her. But as she met his famed and feared crimson eyes, she was put into an illusion. Her father wouldn't know what was going on, as he was only a civilian. Only a skilled ninja could detect a genjutsu as advanced as an Uchiha's.

_"I suggest that you agree. After all, it would be a shame that the land of fire may have to sever ties with the Spring. All trade, and all protection will be cut off. Your village would probably be left on it's own legs..." He said, as he faded away. Images of the people she knew, struggling to being able to feed themselves. Patients coming to the hospital hoping to get treated, only to get diagnosed with starvation and a prescription for food or medicine they could never afford. Her own friends, being forced into hard labour instead of using the skills they trained themselves with, and becoming kunoichi. Everybody's hopes and dreams taken from them._

Suddenly, the illusion disappeared, and she stood in front of her father and Madara, who were waiting for a response.

She knew what her answer had to be. There was no other way. The king had made it seem like she had a choice, but the reality came in his illusion. She could never be selfish and cause her village such hardship. A lump developed in her throat as she attempted to answer the king. This was no longer her choice. This was her duty.

"It is with honour, your Majesty... That I accept your proposal."

* * *

**NOTE:**

_Hi guys. This is my first multichap fanfiction. (Not to mention, I'm still relatively new to writing.) I know that this is rushed and has some mistakes. So basically Sakura is the descendant of an illegitimate (or missing) child Hashirama had fathered. As mentioned, this story is loosely based on The Search, an "Avatar: The Last Airbender" spinoff comic. I don't really know what to say about that, haha. But uh, if you're a fan, go check it out if you haven't. And the whole Senju thing is based on a headcannon I've had for a while. (not that she is directly related to Hashirama, but she has some Senju blood in her.)_

_I should probably get the whole AU thing settled here too:_

_The shinobi system is very similar to the way it is in the actual Naruto only difference is that instead of a Hokage, there is a king. Of course, during the battle in the valley of the end, Madara had won, putting the Uchiha into power. He is Sasuke's grandfather, and is about in his early 70's in this fanfiction._

**Uhh comment/review for further questions, I guess. Feel free to drop by and ask me things about it on tumblr too. My URL is the same as my username on here.**


	2. Three Days

Chapter 2 – Three Days

_ She knew what her answer had to be. There was no other way. The king had made it seem like she had a choice, but the reality was in his illusion. She could never be selfish and cause her village such hardship. A lump developed in her throat as she attempted to answer the king. This was no longer her choice. This was her duty._

_ "It is with honour, your Majesty... That I accept your proposal."_

* * *

Madara raised his eyebrows, pleased with her acceptance. She didn't accept as soon as she realized she would be marrying a prince as expected, but with a push, she had agreed.

"Excellent. In three day's time, you will be escorted to the the Leaf palace by the prince himself. I will be leaving a member of the Royal Guard with you for the three days for you to assist you in preparation for the move." He stopped at the gates that lead out of the garden, and turned around to give Kizashi and Sakura an polite smile.

_ "It would be best for you to keep what has been discussed between you and I between us."_ his voice whispered in her mind as he nodded towards the two and headed towards the carriage. Although Madara was gone, the weight of what had just happened still remained. Silently, and solemnly, father and daughter walked back inside.

She had just given away her hand in marriage to a prince that she had never met. That meant she would have to move to the palace in the biggest village in the country, distancing herself from her family and friends. There, she would know no one. She would barely be able to see her parents- every few weeks at most. Giving up her hand in marriage would also mean giving up her entire life in the Village of Spring.

As soon as she met her father and mother's eyes, she had to fight back tears. _I'm doing it for them._ She reminded herself. _I'm doing it for everyone._ She knew she had to keep a brave face- she had to make sure they were convinced that this was truly what she wanted. If she gave any sign of remorse or sadness, they would know something was up. In a way, it was almost like a mission. A lifelong mission to ensure her village's safety and state. Ninja were excellent at deception- it's one of the many things they do. But was she skilled enough to deceive the very people that knew her best?

"Sakura..." her father began with a heavy voice- and heart. "Is this really what you want?"

"Just because he is the king doesn't mean you must say yes." her mother reminded her. '_But you have no idea what he is capable of '_she silently replied.

"Of course this is what I want. Becoming a princess would just be a title. It would also be a great honour to help fix the rift between the Senju and the Uchiha." she lied. "Besides, I hear that the palace library has such an extensive collection... There will surely be more resources to do some research than here in the Spring." she smiled. Both of her parents had glanced each other, and nodded, giving her a sad smile.

"As long as you are happy, we will be happy." her father pulled her in for a hug, kissing her hair. He hadn't done so ever since she was a girl. As he let go of her, she met her mother's strong but sad eyes. Her mother said nothing, but pulled her into a hug as well.

"You know, I've always imagined the announcement of your engagement to be quite different." her mother smiled.

"Oh really, how so?" she replied, genuinely curious. Her mother wasn't much of a girly mother like Ino's. In fact, she seemed like she wouldn't be very excited over these occasions.

"Yes, of course! I would have expected the poor boy trembling as he asked us- more so in fear of me, for permission!" her mother joked around. She laughed as well, and they began joking about how her mother would have been the reason she wouldn't be engaged for a long time.

She could have almost convinced herself the situation was different, if it weren't for the looming presence of the royal guard nearby.

* * *

She could barely sleep that night. She had waited for her parents to fall asleep before she could silently cry herself to sleep. Even then, she would wake up in the middle of the night, unable to calm her mind. She only had a few hours before she felt the sun rising and heard the sparrows singing. Standing up from her bed, she stretched. Although she only had a few hours of sleep, she still felt better rested than she did during missions.

After getting ready, she grabbed an apple and began walking towards the hospital, planning on doing her regular shift.

"Where are you going?" an unfamiliar voice sounded. She turned around to find a pale man about her age with inky hair. She had almost thought he meant trouble until he rolled up his sleeves to show the royal guard's seal tattooed on his arm. He most likely wasn't wearing the grey arm guards and vest because of the attention he'd attract. The royal guards were the highest ranking ninja in fire country. She bowed down to him in respect, to which he tilted his head to. He found it quite peculiar that the future princess would bow to a guard.

"To work my shift." she replied, turning back around. After taking a few steps, she realized that he was following behind her.

"You are to be leaving in three days." he reminded her as if it was needed.

"Precisely. I intend to make the three days as normal as possible." she explained to him. She wanted to remember her life in the Spring the way it always was. Not by the last few days where people would look at her in awe for becoming the Uchiha bride.

"My lady, I suggest you start the goodbyes now. Already I can tell that you have a lot to go through." the guard suggested. She knew he was right. But the thing was, she didn't want to begin to say them because she didn't want to say goodbye at all. Not that she wanted to leave without a word, it was that she didn't want to leave.

"Tell me, what is your name?" she asked him.

"My name is..." he paused briefly. Ever since starting in the foundation, he had no name. He had gone under many names because of the missions he'd have to complete. But aside from that, he had no real one. So he picked his favourite name from the ones that had been assigned. "Sai." he answered. If she had found it odd that he had the slightest pause, she didn't show it.

"Alright, Sai. Tell me, do you have any way to make the Hospital believe that I am leaving in three days?" she challenged him. She heard a ruffling noise as he presented the royal document from the mail bag he carried.

"Yes, I have documents signed and sealed by the King himself." he explained. It wasn't a surprise that the King knew that she was going to agree- because she _had_ to. Still, she found it rather odd that he had prepared the documents in advance.

"Alright then. At least allow me to spend today at the hospital to make sure they'll be fine without me." she sighed. There were many patients that were under her care, and with the _very_ short notice of her departure, they must be struggling to finding someone new for them. Hopefully the Hospital will be fine. "And also, stop calling my 'my lady' or names of that sort. Just call me Sakura." she added.

"You are marrying the prince in a month." he reminded her, once again, unnecessarily. It would be rude for him not to acknowledge her future status. If he were to meet her again and call her by her name out of habit...

"Yes, in a month. So for the time being, I'm just Sakura." she smiled. He just shrugged and they continued the short walk in silence. When they reached the hospital, he followed her into the head's office and asked to seek audience with him.

"Yes, what is it?" a grey haired man asked, putting his scroll brush down.

"Well, Mr. Arashi... I would like to announce that I am leaving." she told him. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. Mr. Arashi wasn't a man to meddle with other's business, but he did see that there was going to be a big hassle to find a replacement as good as Sakura. After all, she had worked her way up to her current position.

The older man sighed. "You know you're going have to finish all of this month's shifts before-"

"Actually, she is to depart in three days." Sai interrupted.

"Oh?" the head medic questioned, eying the stranger down. "Under what circumstances?" he challenged. No way was he going to be able to find a replacement in three days. Sai simply reached into his mail bag to retrieve the documents sealed with the Uchiha crest, and handed them to the man. After briefly scanning the papers, Mr. Arashi's eyes widened as he looked at the two again. "This... this is from the King?" he asked in disbelief. In response, Sai rolled his sleeve up to reveal the symbol on his arm.

"Ah, yes... I see." Mr. Arashi said, putting the documents into a folder. "Congratulations, Sakura. I knew you would work your way up into higher power, but I didn't know you'd become royalty." he commented. He had only thought that she would replace him when he retired.

"Mr. Arashi... I was wondering if it were okay to spend my last shift today checking all my patients?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, of course." That would give him an extra day to re-arrange shifts and find a replacement. Standing up, he walked around his desk and shook her hand. As the two began to head out, he nodded to the royal guard.

"Thank you, Mr. Arashi." she stopped at the doorway. Although he was a quiet and somewhat awkward man, he had given her nothing but kindness. Even though they didn't discuss much aside from work, she knew that she would miss him.

Sai waited as she stepped out of the room, and he saw that her eyes had the slightest bit of sadness. He knew that today was going to be a long one, even if it was just farewells to coworkers and patients.

* * *

At the palace, a gentle knock was heard on the Sasuke's door. Although he had dismissed whoever was there, they entered, to his annoyance.

"Sasuke, I know how you feel." his mother began. She wasn't just saying she acknowledged what he had felt, but she was in the same position as well at one point. "When your father and the royal guard came to visit my family, I wasn't there. My parents had made the decision for me." She remembered. "I had no say, because at the time, they believed that marrying him would be the best for me." She had never felt so betrayed in her life. She remembers it so well because it was also on the day of her eighteenth birthday.

He just listened to her with a blank face. He was usually more talkative when he was with his mother. She sat on the in the corner of his room, and motioned for him to sit at the one by his dresser.

"Even at twenty, your father had a stern face." his mother explained. "Almost like the one you have right now." She smiled, which in turn, made him show the faintest hint of one as well. "At that point, I was terrified. But what could I do? My parents had given me away, and I could do nothing about it."

"You're making it sound worse."

"But in time, I adapted. As humans, we change, and we adapt to our currents. This is just something that takes longer to adapt to." Mikoto encouraged. Although she could feel that he was more at ease, something else was upsetting him. He saw her knowing and expecting gaze, so he spoke.

"Father only sees me as one to bring more power to the family." he admitted. Everything was always about Itachi training to become the next heir to the throne. His brother seemed to be his father's source of pride. Fugaku would rarely seek audience with Sasuke.

"That's not true," she shook her head. "Your father asks about you a lot. He was worrying about you earlier."

"He doesn't seem very concerned."

"That's because him and Madara are always busy with Itachi and preparing him for the throne." she paused, hesitant. Deciding it was the right thing to say, she spoke again. "Between you and I and your father... It is Madara's plan for you to marry the girl."she spoke in a hushed voice. Although there was no one aside from him listening, he figured that it shouldn't be spoken of.

"Your father didn't want to force you into marriage, but once the King is set.." she frowned a little. Although he was still going to marry the girl, he felt a lot better about it. His father did care about him, and wanted to object the arrangement. The corners of his mouth barely raised as he realized so. Seeing that he was more at ease, she decided to leave and attend her other duties.

"Thank you, mother." he said as she stood up and make her way out of the room.

"Oh, and also." she paused before the doorway.

"Your friend... The loud one is coming tomorrow." his mother announced. Sasuke sighed. As a child, he would be forced to play with the children of other nobles and clan leaders. Of course the son of Minato Namikaze was going to visit in the small amount of time he wished use as brooding time the most. After all, he only had three days before meeting his future wife.

* * *

**NOTE:**

_So that's chapter 2. Thanks for the feedback guys! I know this has some plotholes but feel free to message me on here, tumblr, or address them in a review so I can reply to you in private and then in the notes in the next chapter. Here are some things I should probably clarify right now:_

_- The Royal Guard are the Anbu_

_- Sai is still awkward but isn't a no-filtered prick at the beginning. Think of him as the same way as in the recent chapters._

_- Sakura hasn't met Tsunade yet. She has been training and working under Mr. Arashi, who is almost to Shizune's tier._

_OH, and Sasuke is out of character because the massacre didn't happen. I'm going to try and keep him almost similar to the way he is._

**And also:** _School is starting up again so I'm going to try and post every week to every other week._

_P.S.: Next chapter is going to have some humour. Although I'm not very good with it, try and bare with me!_

**_I accidentally wrote "two" instead of "one" last chapter when Madara is telling Sakura when she is to marry Sasuke. So yeah, she has a month and three days!_**


	3. Breaking the News

Chapter 3 – Breaking the News

_ "Oh, and also." she paused before the doorway."Your friend... The loud one is coming tomorrow." his mother announced. Sasuke sighed. As a child, he would be forced to play with the children of other nobles and clan leaders. Of course the son of Minato Namikaze was going to visit in the small amount time he wished to use as brooding time the most. After all, he only had three days before meeting his future wife._

* * *

"Two days." was the first thing Sakura muttered to herself in the morning. After a long day spent at the hospital with her patients and coworkers, she had been tired enough to catch some sleep. Yesterday, she had shed some real tears in front of people. Of course, she had made sure she didn't overdo it to make it seem like the tears were for the goodbye, and not for the fact that this was the last thing she wanted. But slowly, she began to accept her circumstances. It was going to take a long time before she could fully adapted to what was to come, but Sai was right. Beginning her goodbyes would be the best thing. Although it didn't give her enough, knowing that other people had closure lightened the burden of her leaving.

Today was the day she was going to spend with her friends. Although she had many which she had encountered yesterday, her focus was on her two closest friends: Ino and Tenten. Her and Ino had been together since their first days of the Ninja Academy, and although Tenten was a year older, they were often sent on missions together. Through time and the many missions, they had become very close friends. Yesterday, she had ran into Tenten who was just coming in for a follow-up after a mission. She had told her to meet her at the small dumpling restaurant next to the Yamanaka flower shop so they could spend the day together. As she stepped out of her house, she felt Sai's presence again shadow her until he had decided to "coincidentally" cross paths with her. She figured it was for other people to see and not become supicious.

"Good morning, Sakura." He said with the odd smile he has.

"Sai, where do you sleep?" she asked. It was truly a mystery to her. The first night Madara left, she had felt his presence throughout the entire night. Although he seemed to be a kind man, she knew his real purpose. He was to make sure she didn't utter a word to Madara. But at the same time, the friendliness that came from him seemed a little bit awkward, but sincere.

"Your village does have a nice selection of hotels."

"But how come your presence is still around my house?"

"I leave when you are asleep, and leave something to alert me when you are about to wake." he replied. She wondered what kind of device would be able to discreetly alert him if she were to wake up from such a distance. Her house was not near any hotels.

As she opened the door to the Restaurant, she had caught Ino complaining to Tenten about the lack of interesting boys in the Village of Spring. When Tenten saw that it was Sakura who came in, her eyes lit up. She had barely got to meet Sakura yesterday, and hadn't seen her for two weeks because of her mission. Finally they would be able to catch up on what she had missed in the quiet village of Spring.

"Good morning, Sakura!" Tenten smiled as Sakura sat across the table.

"Forehead! You're late for our brunch date." Ino said in a mockingly grumpy tone. Her attention was taken away from her when Sai sat down next to Sakura. She had quickly glanced at Tenten who had nodded her head.

"Hello." Sai said to her friends.

"Sakura! Is this the boy Tenten was telling me she saw you with yesterday?" Ino smiled. She leaned to the side and whispered to Tenten. "A little pale, but very cute."

"Actually guys, He's-"

"Sakura's engaged." Sai interrupted. Ino's mouth almost dropped to the ground, and Tenten almost spat out her tea.

"You're _engaged?"_ Ino said in a harsh whisper. The old woman who ran the dumpling restaurant was rather kind, and she wouldn't want to ruin that with being loud.

"I'm gone for two weeks and I miss an engagement?" Tenten grumbled. She didn't even know Sakura had a boyfriend. Even if she did acquire one during the time she was away, Sakura didn't come by as someone who would get engaged so soon after meeting somebody.

"Well, no-" Sakura attempted to explain. "Well, yes, I am engaged, but not to him."

"You're... _engaged?"_ Tenten repeated, still in disbelief.

"And you're seeing _someone on the side_?" Ino said, verging on the edge of being too loud. She was way too shocked to keep this in. To be honest, she didn't really believe it, but she was shocked. Sakura wasn't really the one to pull any pranks or do any stupid tricks.

"How hard did I get during my mission? Am I even awake?" Tenten rubbed her forehead. There was _no_ way Sakura Haruno was engaged, and there was definitely no way that she would be seeing someone else on the side.

"No! Can you two just be quiet and listen to me for a minute?" Sakura hissed. Sai had most of his face hidden behind a menu, but peeked over to watch this amusing exchange. He had never seen anything like this in such a close proximity. Sighing, Sakura explained. "Look, I'm leaving in two days and marrying the Prince in a month."

Ino and Tenten had stopped in their shock, and had glanced at her, then each other, then back at the future royal bride. Then finally, they both burst out into laughter. Sakura leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples, attempting to wait their hysterical laughter out. Seeing that she needed some help, Sai rolled up his sleeve to once again show the Royal Guard seal.

"Oh, my god... Is that...?" Ino suddenly stopped, in shock. Not because of the nice muscle definition Sai had in his arm, but the fact that this was true. Sakura would probably joke about her engagement, but she would never take a joke so far.

"You're kidding..." Tenten breathed. "Well, you're not but... wow. The prince, huh?" then, as the information kicked in, a barrage of questions had begun.

"Have you met him?"

"Is he handsome?"

"Tenten, of course he is... He's an Uchiha. Have you seen his brother? How'd he propose?"

"Where is he?"

"Wait a minute... You're leaving in _two days_?" Ino then shouted, which had been heard throughout the restaurant. She had almost began yelling other thing, before Tenten had clamped a hand over her mouth. Finally subduing the blonde, she nodded to Sakura who could then speak.

"Two nights ago, the king himself came to my parents' house. He had asked me to marry the prince, and of course, I agreed. Then he told me I had three days to say goodbye and then I had to go to the palace, and get married in two months. Over the three days, he left a Royal Guard, named Sai."

"Hi." he smiled during the pause she took to take a breath.

"Anyways, yesterday I quit my job at the Hospital and said goodbye to all the coworkers and my patients, and ran into some people to say goodbye as well. I was planning on spending today with you two, tonight with parents, and then tomorrow with them and you guys before the prince arrives." Sakura breathed. She had spoken so fast to explain the entire situation. Although, she wishes she didn't. Her friends sat there with their mouths agape. She wondered if she should have slowed down for them to accept the information in the small amount of time she gave speaking. But in reality, she still processing the information just as they were.

"You're marrying the _prince_ and you're leaving in _two _days?" Tenten repeated. Those were the two most important pieces of information, which they still had trouble processing. Or they were in shock.

"Yeah, I am. Sorry for the short notice-" Sakura apologized before she was interrupted.

"You _should_ be sorry! We have to go shopping, pronto! You're going to be _marrying _the _prince!"_ Ino declared. Sai raised his eyebrows in interest. Usually, his missions involved trailing people around in the shadows. So far, this one has involved the most interaction he has ever done.

Tenten rubbed her temples. "At least let us get our food served..." she sighed. "Is there anything else I missed while I was gone? Did the great shinobi war break out and finish?" she joked. At this point, she couldn't be more surprised.

* * *

"Your majesty, you have a visitor." a servant had said at his door. Sasuke could already feel his impending headache. He was about to be graced with the presence of Uzumaki Naruto.

"Tell them they are dismissed." the prince spoke to the door. He would prefer to finish reading the scroll his brother had picked up for him, than engage in the jinchuuriki's shenanigans.

"Err... Your majesty?" the servant said. Sighing, Sasuke put the scroll down. It couldn't be helped. Even getting five minutes alone was a challenge when it came to Naruto. "Your guest is at your door. I'm sorry, sir, but I have to let them in." he apologized. Soon afterward, the door opened and a loud blonde walked in.

"Oi, Sasuke! We should head out to the field and spar! My mom just taught me this neat new jutsu I could do with Kurama, you know."

"Hn, mama's boy." he smirked. Whenever the container of the Yang half of the nine-tailed fox came to visit, they would have intense spars- which seemed like all-out battles which destroyed the entire training field , which was probably a big reason why he didn't visit often. Up until a couple years ago, they had used the small area in the Uchiha courtyard for their spars. Although the dobe had a large amount of power, he was very clumsy with it. This was especially evident when he had destroyed a small part of the roofed walkway.

"Says the one who used to hide behind theirs when-" Naruto began.

"That was years ago. It doesn't matter now." Sasuke cut in. No one was to _ever_ mention that again.

"So, are you gonna sit there or am I going to drag you? You know I'll do it." Naruto prodded.

"I'd rather spend my remaining two days alone." Sasuke said, leaning back in his chair.

"_Two days?_ Don't worry, Sasuke! You're the prince! We can figure out a way to try and save you! You have access to the best medics!" the blonde exclaimed. Sasuke had only put his head in his palm before the idiot attempted to get him to stand up. "Come on, Sasuke! I can't let you die alone!"

"I'm not dying, idiot." the prince replied. Before the idiot could get any ideas of asking what it was about, he thought of a distraction. Standing up, he walked towards the door out of his room. "Come on, let's spar." he said as he walked by the Uzumaki.

"Ha! Prepare to lose because you're definitely not winning this one!" Naruto laughed as he followed behind. Although he didn't show it, Sasuke anticipated this battle. It'll be a long time before he would be able to do this again.

* * *

"What exactly are we shopping for?" Tenten asked as they walked past countless displays from small shops that lined the streets of the Spring.

"Er... Ino?" Sakura paused. Ino turned around before entering a Women's Gear shop "I've already got enough at home. I'm just moving my things to the palace."

Ino just shrugged and stepped into the shop, having the three follow in with her. Although most ninja gear was unisex, most kunoichi had some preference in what they would wear on missions. On the side, the shop sold undergarments- some sturdy ones for missions, but at the back of the store- where Ino was currently located, held a supply of undergarments for... other reasons. Sai had never been a place like this before- he never had a need to. Although, he _was_ curious what the store held. He often wondered if there was just things like flak jackets but in smaller sizes, or completely different designs for certain pieces of equipment. Of course, he never dared to venture into one- it would seem very odd for him to do so.

"How about this one?" Ino said as she held up a very see-through night gown.

"I'm marrying a _prince_!" Sakura hissed. It seemed that Ino had some ideas that she was looking forward to seducing him- which she wasn't. The last thing she wanted to think about was being in bed with the prince.

Ino took a breath, and was about to tease Sakura, but was interrupted by a small scream and a slapping noise.

"Pervert! Why are you at this side of the store?" a woman shouted at Sai, who was rubbing his cheek at the other end of the section, looking for them. This lead to the trio to decide that they either leave now, or cause a larger commotion. Sighing, Ino made a decision.

"Why don't we buy some food and have those picnics sleepovers like we did when we were young?" she asked as they grabbed Sai and walked out of the store with him. A light sparked in Sakura and Tenten's eyes when they heard her suggestion, and nodded eagerly. Tenten caught a flash of Ino's wicked smile towards Sai- he was going to be the new victim of their "makeovers".

* * *

Just before their initial attacks were unleashed, a servant had run out to the field. Sasuke and Naruto paused, to hear what the panting man had to say.

"Princess Mikoto..." the man gasped, "Wishes you to prepare to leave before sunset" he took another breath, "to escort your bride." the man concluded. Sasuke's eyes widened. It would only be a few seconds before...

"Sasuke! You're getting married?" the blonde shouted. It had been four months since he had seen him, and he had never mentioned a girl before. There was _no _way a girl- aside from his cousin, would agree to marrying the stoic Uchiha.

"...Yes." He admitted through his teeth. He turned to give a cold stare at the panting servant, who was at fault for this revelation. Of course, he wouldn't do anything to the man, but the man still froze in the glare of an Uchiha.

"When? No wait- how? Is she hot?"

"Naruto." He warned. He sighed, knowing that the blonde idiot would never let up until he had answers. "It is arranged. It will be in a month, and I am not going to answer the last question." he gritted.

Somewhere in the, in the not-too-far distance, the Uzumaki's red-haired cousin had fainted under the tree she was hiding behind. _Her _Sasuke was getting married to someone else? How dare they!

* * *

**NOTE:**

_Okay hi guys! This chapter is kind of funny (to me, anyway), and I feel that it's also a tiny bit rushed and a bit out of character for Naruto and Sai. Anyway, school is starting to kick up into full gears again and I think updates will actually be 2 weeks apart for a while now... But I'll post as soon as I can! We'll see how things goes._

_SORRY ABOUT THE LONG WAIT. HONESTLY._


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